


Friendship is One Thing, Team is Another

by Arytra



Category: Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Genre: Both topics used to bully another character, Dino Thunder needs lessons on how not to be a dumpster fire of a team, Let's be honest: They wouldnt listen, Multi, Team as Family, Trent is so confused, future Conner/Kira/Ethan/Trent, mentions of implied sexual abuse, mentions of potential rape in past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:09:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27625201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arytra/pseuds/Arytra
Summary: Dino Thunder has specific ways of dealing with team problems, Trent has issues left over from being both a Ranger and formerly evil.  And Trent isn't sure, but he thinks Dino Thunder may accept him now.  Sorta.  Maybe.  If they could stick to being one way instead of a confusing mess, he might actually understand what's going on.
Relationships: Kira Ford/Ethan James/Conner McKnight
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	Friendship is One Thing, Team is Another

**Author's Note:**

> This is the other fic for Akume's birthday. So, uh, happy birthday!

"So what were they hassling you about?" Conner asked, half-bounding over the side of the couch as Hayley had asked him not to do many, many time, and landing next to Trent. Trent looked up from the drawing he was working on, wondering when he's gotten somewhat used to Conner being Conner.

"What?" He asked.

"In the locker room. What were they hassling you about?" Conner asked, leaning back somewhat casually.

"You were there?" Trent asked. Conner rolled his eyes.

"I have gym with you," he said. "It's the one class I like in school. Yeah, I was there."

"Why didn't you stop them?" He asked.

"Why didn't you?" Conner asked. "That's what's been going on in my head. Why didn't you stop them?"

"We can't use our powers and Dr. O said..." Trent started but Conner rolled his eyes.

"Dr. O says a lot of things," he answered. "They're going to keep it up if you don't stop them. Besides, I didn't help Ethan either and he handled it using geeky stuff."

"Why didn't you help him?" Trent asked, ignoring Conner's jabs at their teammate. Conner sighed.

"How do your friends react to you being friends with me?" He asked casually. Trent just was quiet and Conner took a breath. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh. But pretend I have friends for this conversation," he said.

"You do. Sort of. I mean, Kira likes you a lot. And Ethan's mostly fine with you. And I'd make sure you didn't killed by a car or whatever," Conner told him. Trent just looked at him and Conner shrugged. "You'd do the same for me."

Trent just decided against answering that right now. He likely would, but there were times like right now when his darker impulses told him to strangle the Red Ranger. "If I had friends other than what you consider friends to be..."

"Right," Conner said. "So, it's weird for Ethan and Kira, but they don't get questioned about it as much, dude. Kira's band cares more about her ditching practice when we have to handle things. Ethan's friends have asked, but he doesn't have that whole ditching problem. I get to ditch the team and get 20 questions on a good day. The only thing that keeps them from pushing too hard is that I don't go against them right now."

"What if you did?" Trent asked. Conner sighed.

"Then they might figure out I'm a Ranger," he said with a shrug. "Which is exactly what Doctor O told us not to do. So, I figure none of you need me to fight your battles for you, but I thought we could talk or whatever, dude."

"You just said you wouldn't help. Why should I talk about it?" He demanded. Conner shrugged.

"I wouldn't either," he admitted. "But I figured I'd offer. Don't jump down my throat."

Trent swallowed his anger once again as he remembered what they had said. If he wanted to be honest, it was worse than just a little anger and he was having to hold back a lot to the point where if those darker thoughts could just die out, that would be great. "I'm fine."

Conner just looked at him. "Why don't you think you can handle it?"

Conner looked more worried than he had and Trent sighed. "I can. But maybe I don't want to, okay?"

Conner looked at him for a minute and then stood up, heading off. Trent was slightly disappointed, but not surprised at all that the other had given up that quickly. Or he would have been if he hadn't heard the voices coming back.

"Just do that tact thing," Conner complained. "You're the best at it."

"Whatever is wrong, it could have waited until I got my smoothie, Conner," Kira informed him.

"No it couldn't," Conner insisted. "He needs you now."

"Why are you so impossible?" She demanded before half-throwing herself down next to Trent. "Conner says you're upset."

"It's fine," he answered. "I'll take care of it."

"Oh," Kira said and her expression turned more sympathetic. "You're getting bullied. I'd say that explains Conner, but he's always like that."

"I am not!" Conner complained, though he certainly was. "And see? Important. Trent doesn't think he can handle it."

"And you think that me handling this going to be any better for Trent?" She demanded. "Maybe Ethan..."

Trent was a little hurt by her reaction before he realized that Kira wasn't that big and she was likely trying to save him a bit more grief.

"What am I doing?" Ethan asked, sitting on Trent's other side since Conner was prodding Kira. Kira looked at him.

"Helping Trent to not get bullied," she answered. 

"Well, step one, don't tell Hayley or Doctor O," Ethan instructed. "That'll just make it worse. Step two, we need to know what it's over so we can help you work past it."

Trent sighed. They were ganging up on him again, but he was running out of choices. Especially since his brain had told him to just rip the bullies apart and he'd been told not to do that. Also, he really didn't want to do that. It was the main reason why he'd been upset that Conner hadn't stepped in since if he listened to the the deadlier thoughts in his head, the bullies would have been very hurt. Or dead. Dead was also a possibility. Therefore, letting them do it was his only answer yet even he hadn't expected them to actually get involved.

"It wasn't about anything important," Trent answered. All three of them managed to hit the same 'I don't believe you' look which was pretty impressive. "They talked about how I didn't have a girlfriend which was whatever. I don't. Then they made the suggestion that I could just, uh, 'take' a girl and get it over with. And when I looked sick about that, they brought up that maybe I wasn't into girls because I was adopted. And 'everyone knows what adult men want to do when they adopt kids..."

He felt sick again by both insinuations. He glanced over to see that the other three didn't look sick at all. They looked downright pissed.

"Okay, now I'm going to kill them," Conner informed him. Trent waited for the other two to stop him, but both of them looked just as ready.

"You can't!" Trent reminded him.

"I bet you're wrong," Conner said. "Ethan can totally cave their heads in if I can't."

"I can," Ethan agreed. Trent just stared at them.

"You guys can't just destroy people!" He hissed.

"Shouldn't," Conner half-growled. "And we shouldn't do a lot of things."

Kira and Ethan just nodded their agreement. Trent rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out where this day went off the rails. "You shouldn't."

"Probably," Kira agreed. "And we can discuss that after we go beat them down."

Ethan was already halfway out of Hayley's. Conner wasn't bothering to stop him, but had grabbed Trent's arm. "Come on."

"Kira, grab Ethan," Trent said quickly. She let out an annoyed sound, but somehow managed to do so. He turned to Conner. "We're good guys, remember?"

"You're one of us," Conner hissed back. "We're not actually going to kill them. Probably. But that's just sick."

"Still not worth it," Trent told him. "Besides, what about Doctor O's rules?"

"Doctor O should have made us better 'people are idiots' rules," he said. Trent grabbed him and he could see the anger in the other's eyes.

"I don't want this," he said quietly. Conner's anger died and he ripped his hand away, but stood down.

"Fine," Conner said. "But I'm not leaving your side tomorrow at gym."

"What about..." Trent started.

"This is different," Conner answered. "If they're pulling that crap, they might do something worse. Ethan could take a punch."

"Thanks, Conner," grumbled Ethan.

"Anytime," Conner told him. "But like we'll handle it."

"I can..." he tried.

"They'll just get worse," Kira said. "Let Conner use his popularity for good for once in his life."

Trent looked at him. "What happened to 'I would pull you out of the way of a car' being the extent of our friendship?"

"It is," Conner insisted. "This is just a really big car and that's for friendship. This is a teammate thing."

"What's the difference?" Trent asked.

"It's sorta like family: We may not always like each other, but we help each other," Conner said, trying to explain. Trent was pretty sure he was just making things up, but Kira and Ethan nodded too and that make him less sure. 

"So like siblings?" Trent asked.

"Sure, if that's what you want," Conner said easily. "Not what the three of us are, but it's cool if that's what you're comfortable with, dude."

"Hold on. What?" Trent asked. It had been a very long day and he wasn't even sure if they were making sense anymore. Conner had just turned to Kira, giving her a look that completely asked where he went wrong here. Ethan took over in the meantime.

"We're in a relationship," he said easily. "The three of us."

"Oh," Trent said. "Are you trying to hide it?"

"No," Ethan said. "Doctor O and Hayley know. Why?"

"I don't think I've seen you three..." Trent started, trying to figure out how to finish it.

"Making out like the world is ending?" Conner offered.

"Yeah. That," he said. Conner gave a quick glance to the other two and got whatever he needed from them. Apparently, they were just going to let him lead which Trent thought was a terrible idea, but he didn't really have a say at the moment.

"Ethan's asexual, so he's not interested in that kind of thing," Conner said easily. "It's cool though. Kira is demisexual and I'm demiromantic so we make it work."

"Oh," Trent said. "That's..."

"A lot to take in?" Conner asked. "Tell me about it. I'm the exact opposite of Kira and nearly of Ethan. You ever decide that siblings wasn't the relationship you were trying for and you're likely to find something you like."

"Conner, stop trying to pimp us out," Kira ordered. "He means welcome to the team and please don't feel overwhelmed."

"I'm pretty sure that's not what I meant!" Conner protested. He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Anyway, we're a team. We'll take care of you or whatever so just accept it already."

"Do we have to tell Doctor O and Hayley?" Trent asked.

"Well, they already know about the three of us..." Conner said.

"I mean about the bullying thing," he said quickly. Ethan shook his head.

"You really don't want to," he assured him. "He'll make it worse and she can't do anything about it. So, like Conner said, we'll take care of it."

"I really don't think that's a good idea. You three were pretty violent," he reminded them.

"We probably wouldn't have actually destroyed them," Conner answered. "Sometimes, the whole Power thing makes us get a little bit more aggressive than normal when it involves teammates."

"What he said," Kira agreed. "And you are one of us."

Trent looked at the ground and then back at them. "Thanks. Can we just hang out tonight?"

"Sure," Ethan assured him. Kira learned into Trent and Conner leaned back with a grin. Maybe they weren't friends yet, but they were definitely something else and Trent absolutely was willing to take that in right now.

***

Trent hadn't known what to expect when his bullies had come up to him outside of the locker room. He felt the same wrath rise in his throat and tried to force it back. Regardless of what the other three had implied, they couldn't actually get away with fighting the other students. That said, he did try to meet their gaze somewhat and found that they were stopping their advance. The hand on his shoulder told him why.

Trent had never actually thought about it, but Conner did tower over the three of them and the way he was doing so now was extremely protective and more than a little intimidating. Ethan didn't have Conner's height, but the anger rolled off of him and Trent was a little impressed that he was keeping his power under control. The extremely shocking thing was how Kira managed to be smaller than all of them and he still thought they should all be warier about her. She just took over the room with how she stood. All of them surrounded him protectively.

"Leave," Conner told them. The group would likely question why they did later and Dino Thunder would almost certainly hear it from Tommy later about using their power for personal gain or whatever, but Trent was far more focused on how much they had been willing to help him. Once the group was gone, Kira gently grabbed his arm.

"Come on," she said. "We have things to do."

"This is going to be a long week at practice," Conner mentioned, noticing that at least a couple of the bullies had indeed been teammates.

"Maybe Mesogog can disrupt practice for you," Ethan said sarcastically.

"Well, Dinobreath owes me so..." Conner said, ignoring the sarcasm. Kira just leaned in.

"Welcome to your new life. I'm so sorry," she whispered, but Trent was just smiling instead.


End file.
